


Borderlands oneshots

by AikaKyomi



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, honestly I'll add tags as things go, i'm a really slow writer sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9727832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikaKyomi/pseuds/AikaKyomi
Summary: Basically, here's some Borderlands Reader Insert oneshot with all of your favourite characters from all the games! I may consider doing ships later on too.





	1. I'm Not A Fool ~ Handsome Jack x Reader

**Author's Note:**

> As you were about to take off, footsteps resounded from behind you, climbing the stairs that lead in the bar. Curious, you turned around to have a look at that person that had quite an obnoxious hour to come have a drink.
> 
> It was a male, quite tall, with light chestnut hair and odd different coloured eyes: blue on the right, green on the left. In all the time you spent in this bar, it was the first time you ever saw him around. He kept looking around the room, like he was searching for something, or someone. Inquisitive, you decided to step in.
> 
> “Can I help you?” you cordially asked the man.
> 
> He lowered his gaze to face you, probably surprised by the fact that someone was talking to him. Immediately, a smirk drew itself over his lips.  
> “Well, you can help me anytime sweetheart.” he grinned.

You sat there quietly, in Concordia’ sleazy bar, next to the rattling speakers that kept spitting irritating music which was honestly really shitty. Drink in your hand, you thoughtfully observed the near empty room, where the only other people with you in there was Moxxi (the bartender and a good friend of yours), a guy who was so drunk he had fallen asleep on the counter, and one of these bothersome claptrap units you only wish you could explode the crap out of it. In all honesty, you didn’t even know why you were still in there.

“You seem reflective today.” Moxxi noted as she sorted out some stuff behind the bar. “Something on your mind?”  
“Not so much.” you exhaled sharply. “I’m just bored.”  
“Well if you have nothing else to do, there’s this scavs camp, a couple miles west, in Triton Flats. I’ve got a friend who’d like to see someone take ‘em down.”  
“Cut the crap. How much?”  
“Let’s just say a lot. But see, I’m busy, and I’m sure he won’t mind if I put you on the job.”  
“Did he tell you why?”  
“Not a word. You know how this works: as long as the job’s done, the how and why doesn’t matter.”  
“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

Finishing yet another drink of that alcoholic stuff you didn’t know, you slammed the glass on the counter, silently ordering another.

“Well you could just ask politely.” your friend mocked you as she poured you the next drink.

You murmured a silent ‘thank you’ before drinking the glass’s content once again.

“Geez, slow down a bit will ya?” Moxxi promptly reacted. “Unless you want to end up like that dumbass over there.”

She pointed the passed out guy a few meters away, which resulted in a sigh from you.

“You know me better than that.” you commented.  
“You weren’t saying that last week.” she nagged you with a wink.  
“It was one time Moxxi. And I swear, I’m definitely certain that there was something in my drink.”  
“Well, if you haven’t had 20 of ‘em…”  
“Oh shut up.”

Moxxi giggled lightly, while returning to her cleaning. Silence took over for a few minutes, before she approached you, saying:

“I’ve got something to do in my workshop. I can count on you not to blow shit up in here?”  
“I can’t promise you anything.” you replied, smirking.

She only sighed, before quitting the room with a small sign of hand. It wasn’t the first time she left you alone in the bar, which usually meant that it was time for you to leave. But in that shitty world you lived in, was there really anything else to do?

You were slowly thinking about leaving now: a passed out dude and an irritating robot weren’t much good drinking company. That, and the fact that you’d probably end up raiding that scavs camp Moxxi told you about when the sun would rise made you recognize that you’d probably need some sleep ‘til then. Two or three hours would be enough.

As you were about to take off, footsteps resounded from behind you, climbing the stairs that lead in the bar. Curious, you turned around to have a look at that person that had quite an obnoxious hour to come have a drink.

It was a male, quite tall, with light chestnut hair and odd different coloured  
eyes: blue on the right, green on the left. In all the time you spent in this bar, it was the first time you ever saw him around. He kept looking around the room, like he was searching for something, or someone. Inquisitive, you decided to step in.

“Can I help you?” you cordially asked the man.

He lowered his gaze to face you, probably surprised by the fact that someone was talking to him. Immediately, a smirk drew itself over his lips.

“Well, you can help me anytime sweetheart.” he grinned.

You sighed and rolled you eyes: it was impossible to count how many times you’d been approached by someone trying to flirt, and how you were annoyed by it. Although this time, the guy did not look like a drunken idiot, which unknowingly to him gave you a reason not to leave immediately on the spot.

“It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.” you teased mockingly.  
“You’d actually be surprised…” he retorted with a wink.

You exhaled sharply, but not without keeping a smile in the corner of your lips.

“I’m certain. Now, you’re here for..?”  
“Do you know if Moxxi’s still here?”  
“She just left, like legitimately a minute ago.”  
“Right, of course.”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, before turning his head, deep in thoughts. Many people knew Moxxi around here, but you still couldn’t help but to wonder who the hell was this guy, and what was his relationship with your friend. You were about to ask him a question or two when he turned back around, smirk wide on his lips.

“Well, if there’s nothing else to do, you up for a drink or something?” he inquired, as he casually threw himself on a bench next to the bar.  
“You do know I’m not working here right?” you retorted defensively.  
“Oh come on, who cares. As long as you know where the booze is.”  
“Fine then, but you’re paying.”  
“Mind if I ask you how will I pay if there’s no one here?”

You promptly answered by scoffing, before taking place next to the man at the bar. Extending your arm over the counter, you took a few seconds to grab a bottle, along with two glasses, placing them next to you. You poured the liquid before pushing off the cup in front of you.

“Hey, I didn’t get your name by the way.” the man stated, as you took a sip of your drink.  
“You never asked.” you retorted. “But I’m (Y/n), nice to meet you.”  
“Lovely. I’m Jack.”

Emptying his glass in one gulp, he laid it down on the counter, not even minding to pour himself another on.

“It’s odd I’ve never seen you around here.” he started, locking his gaze with yours. “First time in Concordia?”  
“Not at all.” you contradicted him, smirking. “But usually, everyone’s already gone when I get here.”  
“Missing on the party?”  
“Meh, I like some peace in quiet. People generally bore me.”  
“Am I boring you?”  
“Surprisingly enough, not yet.”

Your only answer to that was a smirk, to which you laughed before finishing your drink as well.

“What about you?” you asked him, once the glass rested empty on the counter. “Coming here often?”  
“Well, let’s just say I come and go.”

A rowdy metallic noise interrupted your conversation, and you understood where it came from when Moxxi emerged from behind the wall that lead to her workshop.

“Still here (Y/n)?” she called out, before stopping sharply as she saw the person you were talking with. Her gaze hardened straight away as she approached the bar.

“Look who decided showed up.” she muttered, looking precisely at Jack. “What are you doing here?”

Now you had the confirmation that these two knew each other. And by seeing Moxxi’s facial expression, it could only mean one thing: you had to get out of there. This was none of your business.

“Hey Moxx, I was actually looking for you.” Jack replied after a few seconds, using her nickname, which seemingly did not make her happy.  
“And I clearly wasn’t.” she retorted sharply. “What do you want?”

He marked a small pause before answering.

“Well, I was having a drink with this lovely lady here—”

But when he turned around to have at look at you, he instantly realized that the bench was now empty. The only thing that proved you’d once been there was the now unfilled glass resting on the bar, a small note glued onto it on which you could see nothing but a small heart. Seeing that, Jack’s only reaction was not an exclamation, but rather a sly smirk on his lips.

Because he knew it wouldn’t be the last he’d hear from you.

  
☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

It was only two days later that you decided to head out to that scavs camp, following Moxxi’s coordinates. The sun wasn’t even up when you hopped down from your Moon Zoomy, a few meters away to get an idea of what you were confronted to.

This camp was seemingly pretty small compared to some previous ones. It was installed in an old wrecked ship that had probably crashed years ago, leaving only metals scraps and debris scattered around. Apparently, a single wreckage was enough for them to start a camp into it.

A few scavs were reunited around a fire, a tone of voice way too loud to be considered talking. They were heavily armed, and you had no clue on the extent of the reinforcements and gunnery that were waiting for them inside. Of course, no one told you it’d be easy right?

Making sure your ride wasn’t visible from the camp, you armed yourself with all the weapons you had: an assault rifle in hand, with a small pistol lodged in the back of your belt along a few ammo rounds and some grenades you managed to get your hand onto. You additionally made sure that your shield was activated. After taking a few deep breaths, you rushed nearer to the camp, hiding behind a piece of the wreckage.

“Time to hit the grave motherfuckers.” you mumbled with a smirk, loading the first round of ammo before instantly turning around, firing at what was now your enemies.

It didn’t took a while for them to react, although two of them were already on the ground when they responded to the hit, aiming all their bullets at you. Apart from the few ones that reached you, scratching your shield without much damage, the scrap of metal that you considered your hiding spot did a pretty good job at covering you from the enemy’s fire.

They of course had reinforcements: you noticed right away when a dozen scavs joined their comrades outside, also firing in your direction. Oddly, they were a lot numerous than what you initially expected. Some of them also carried heavy weaponry and armours that weren’t to be taken lightly. You were taking high risks by accepting this mission, but there was no turning back now.

Following a self-given pattern, you quickly left your safety spot to shoot a few bullets before retreating back, taking some time to reload to restart it all again. But as much as this technique seemed effective now, they were doubtlessly getting closer, and you weren’t sure of having the necessary weaponry to fend them all off when they’d show up.

Reloading your rifle, your attention wasn’t drawn when one of these assholes (a nickname you deemed self-explanatory for them) flew off over the metal scraps and landed a few meters away, on the snow in front of you, making you lift your eyes only when he started shooting.

You felt your shield getting weaker right away, and instantly reacted by raising your gun in his direction. But your finger barely brushed the trigger when the deafening noise of a gunshot resounded, as you saw a bullet traverse from left to right through the bandit’s brain before his body collapsed onto the ground. You just stood there in awestruck, wondering what the hell just happened there.

“Missed me cupcake?” exclaimed a voice you first couldn’t recognize, until Jack came into your view with his usual grin, and a golden pistol in his left hand.

The accustomed sound of gunfire still filled the background ominously, but it didn’t refrain you from asking:

“What the hell are you doing here?” you yelled over the noise as you rotated to shoot up a few scavs.  
“Helping you.” he replied defensively, voice as loud as yours. “What does it look like?”  
“That you’re trying to steal my pay check!”

Hitting once again the recharge switch, you put up yet another rond of ammo into your rifle before aiming at the bad guys.

“Oh come on honey, you now me better than that.” he retorted as he hid aside you behind the wreckage, shooting on the other side.  
“Actually, I don’t know you at all.” you scoffed. “Now what’s the real reason?”  
“Moxxi told me about it, and I was bored.”

Suddenly, a bandit peeked from the wreckage side, aiming at you when Jack shouted something like “Get down!”, to which you obeyed before seeing the scav’s body roughly hit the ground.

“What do you mean she told you about it?” you exclaimed over the never-ending noise of detonations.  
“Does it matter? I’m saving your ass.”

He was right: his reason for being there wasn’t really important if he was preventing you from getting killed. Even if you could’ve done it by yourself, of course.

As this ceaseless war didn’t seem like reaching an end, you acknowledged in disarray that the enemies weren’t fewer than before. In fact, it looked like there was even more of them, to which you couldn’t help but ask yourself a question: how in the hell?

Looking around, you also noticed that your shield kept getting weaker without the time required for it to recharge itself, and that the amount of bullets left on your side wasn’t positive looking. You genuinely hoped Jack brought some stuff on his end, or else you weren’t sure of how all this would go for you.

All of a sudden, an abrupt beeping sound echoed near, startling you before bringing up the question: what was it? Lowering your gaze to your belt, you instantly identified the signalling red light as your shield, that were now powered down. Which could only mean one thing: one well-placed bullet, and it was done for you.

You repeatedly smashed the recharge button, wishing it’d make a difference even if you pertinently it wouldn’t. Recharging once again your rifle that was crucially getting low on ammo, you were about to share your problem to Jack, in hope he had a solution or maybe a spare fully charged shield near him, when a excruciating pain crossed through your shoulder, making you forget every thought you had in mind at the moment.

It was no secret: you had been shot before. But in none of your memories you remembered it hurting like this. Your arm immediately went numb, as a burning sensation went through your chest, then the rest of your body, causing you to lose balance and stumble to hit the ground.

Your head spun as you felt dizzy, your vision gradually getting blurry. The muffled sound of gunshots felt distant, and the only thing you remembered from this scene is hearing Jack’s voice saying:

“(Y/n), are you alrig— shit are you bleeding?”

You felt a hand on your shoulder, and everything turned to black

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

Oddly enough, when you felt your body awaken, it was not on the cold and hard surface of the moon, like you expected. Rather than that, was a soft material, seemingly like a mattress, along something that appeared to be smooth drapes. When you fluttered your eyes open, the steady lamp over the bed lighting the surroundings instantly made you realize that you had no idea where you were.

A small room, painted in a shaded yellow, with a old desk and a wooden chair was the first thing to introduce you to this unknown place. It was barely bigger than a closet, but the decoration and the neat-looking appearance of the area seemed like nothing you ever saw in Concordia.

After fainting on the battlefield, you had no memories of what happened next. Maybe you’d been knocked out ever since, or perhaps someone made sure to. Both cases, you weren’t feeling safe alone in there.

Trying to get up, the acute pain in your shoulder instantly came back, causing discomfort in the rest of your body. As you applied your feet in the ground, the ache got even worse, making you collapse abruptly head first on the ground in a loud thump. “If I was trying to be subtle, well that’s crossed off the list.” you mumbled to yourself, struggling to get somewhat of a balance.

Not even a minute later, the sudden noise of the door beeping open echoed in the room, bringing up your attention on the person that entered. And honestly, you weren’t much surprised to see Jack, looking down at you with something that looked like discouragement.

“What the hell are you doing?” he called out, promptly approaching to help you get back on the mattress. “One shoulder isn’t enough?”

Normally you’d have retorted with a smart ass remark, but the pain could only make you wince. You sat back on the bed, taking a few breaths, before muttering with a hoarse voice:

“I could’ve gotten out of there by myself”

The first answer to that was a scoff from Jack, before he exclaimed:

“By yourself, my ass! You were lucky I was there princess, or else I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be breathing right now.”

You exhaled sharply, knowing he was right about this. If it hadn’t been for him, you would probably be dead and buried by now, even if the burying part was discutable. You owed him your life, and God knew how much you hated owing debts to others. Still, for the first time in years you couldn’t count, you mumbled a silent 'thank you’ that almost went inaudible. Except it didn’t.

“What did I just hear?” Jack smirked mockingly.  
“I said thank you, geez!” you blurted out on an exasperated tone.  
“You’re thanking me? What happened to you?”  
“Yeah, I figured I’d try it out, seeing how it goes.”  
“Well that’s new.”

With something that seemed like a giggle, you managed to properly place your feet on the ground, and tried to get up once more. You were barely holding up, but at least you weren’t falling. For now.

“Slow down there sweetheart.” Jack asserted as helped you keep your balance. “You shouldn’t move too much if you want to heal.”  
“I’m perfectly fine. ” you retorted defensively.  
“No, you’re not. Now sit the fuck down before you hurt yourself even more.”

Listening to his advice, you inhaled deeply: there was no need to make this worse than it already was. So you gave up on your plan, sitting back down on the mattress in defeat.

“I’m puzzled.” you stated, bringing your eyes up to face Jack’s. “Why did you saved me? For all I know, you could’ve left me there.”  
“What would the fun be in that? I’m not THAT cruel.”  
“Still, its weird.”  
“God, what is it with you girls and your need for clear answers!”  
“I’m sorry, it’s a girl thing now?”  
“Totally.”

You scoffed mockingly, widely smirking, before sarcastically asking

“Well, is it a girl thing to do this then?”

And on theses words, you grabbed his collar and firmly pressed your lips against his. For a second you noticed something that looked like surprise into his eyes, until he eagerly replied to the kiss by putting one arm on your back, slightly grinning. You closed your eyes, putting an arm behind his neck, and enjoyed the moment until you both broke apart, in need of oxygen.

“I must admit, you keep surprising me darling.” he admitted as he stepped back.  
“And I’m not even done yet.”

He chuckled, a smile in the corner of his lips, before exclaiming:

“Now get some fucking sleep, before I knock you out myself.”  
“Oh, you would never do that.” you riposted.  
“Do you know me that well sweetheart? I’m capable of anything.”

And that’s how, with a smirk and a slight wink, he left the room, leaving nothing behind expect you smiling widely from ear to ear. Because internally, you knew that today was a beginning, a start to a much bigger story than what you could ever imagine.


	2. Love Me Till The End ~ Rhys x Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first thing you sensed when regaining consciousness was the tissue fragments around your wrists. A swift movement of your hands instantly made you understand that they were tied together. Your whole arms felt numb, and an atrocious headache prevented you from thinking straight. At least, you were alive. That’s a bonus.
> 
> When you opened your eyes, you weren’t stuck in pitch black, but rather in a dim-lighted room with, once again, metallic walls. There was a few desks and chairs, along some work material left haphazardly to indicate that the leave of the place had probably been rushed and hurried. What happened here remained a mystery, though, which you couldn’t wait to solve.
> 
> Wandering your gaze around the room, you noticed the presence of someone else, a few meters away. Sitting on a chair, his head was leaning on his only arm (as the other one seemed missing), and judging by the snoring you heard, he was sleeping. His rather unusual clothing looked like nothing you’ve ever seen on a pandoran citizen, and his badge confirmed his provenance: Hyperion.

The sun was hitting hard on your back today, drowning the surrounding desert in an arid temperature that could easy dry off every drop of water around. There wasn’t a sign of life since you started walking this morning: even the skags couldn’t live long in this place. Rifle in your hands and worn out backpack on your shoulders, you wondered if this heat would ever end, even if things were rarely in your favor in the Pandora wastelands.

It was a statement that was not only true when talking about your current status, but also about your life. Orphan since as long as you could remember, you realized fairly young that if you wanted to stay alive on this shit hole of a planet, you’d have to fight for it. Living the somewhat usual life of a criminal, with the single goal to try not to die. What a life.

Today was pretty much like any other, which meant wandering endlessly in the wastelands, hoping to find someone to rob, a vehicle to steal or something valuable enough to buy your next meal. Luck didn’t seem to struck by these days, as the recent heatwaves hadn’t help at all the food production. Even eating was a luxury nowadays. Still, you managed with what you had, like you always did.

No family, no home and multiple bounties on your head as people usually didn’t like you much, here was the definition of your life in a sentence. And as it contented you fairly (content, not happiness, the difference was major), drifting where the flow of life sent you didn’t seem like much of a problem. But on Pandora, who would you complain too when half the population lived through the same hell?

Still, that day began like any other, but unknowingly to you it was far from ending as one.

It was around noon when you entered what seemed like an abandoned city. Up over the entrance a cupboard was nailed down with the words “Old Haven” poorly written on it. By the look of the buildings and the roads, it all looked empty, even if you pertinently knew that appearances could be misleading. But as you food and water stocks approached the near-empty state, there was not really a choice to make: you had to go in.

In that kind of place, you didn’t expect to find anything extraordinary. I mean, a deserted site like this had probably been raided a thousand times over by bandits and scavs. But with some luck and a little more intelligence than them, you’d hopefully find some supplies in this place.

Although, after exploring few of the damaged buildings from in and out, you realized that luck wasn’t enough for today: everything was gone. 

You exhaled sharply, clicking your tongue in annoyance, as you tried to figure out the next step of your plan. These houses could provide you shelter for a few days, but the lack of supplies was slowly getting crucially low. Plus, bandits would probably take over the place when nighttime would come, so it wasn’t much of an idea. It was better to just walk away, to forget this place like it never existed.

With a sigh of discouragement, you turned around to get a grip on your backpack when your eyes caught a sight of what you’d never took time to really look at. An immense blue and grey structure projected over the village through its five towers of different height and size. Odd numbers and letters were visible at the edge of each towers, along a weird red logo on the middle one. And where there seemed to have been the door left its place for a dark, gloomy hole that probably lead inside.

In the back of your brain, your inner-self tried to warn you about this ominous area. That it was dangerous, suicidal even, to investigate a mysterious abandoned facility without knowing anything about what was inside of it. But honestly, who wouldn’t be curious? What kind of technology and weapons were hidden in the depths of this place? What secrets did it held? 

The mere mention of these eventualities were enough to convince yourself to go in.  

Pulling up your backpack on your fatigued shoulders, you slowly marched towards the tunnel, adrenaline pumping through your veins as you held tighter to your gun. Entering the building in a dim-lighted metallic corridor, a small inscription forged in the silvery wall suddenly drawn your attention. When you brought your eyes closer to it, you realized it read:

“Atlas Corporation”

You lifted a brow in surprise: the discovery of an Atlas building wasn’t something you could do every day. It was pretty special to be able to step foot in there as Atlas products, especially their guns, were worth a fortune on Pandora. And if you could get your hand on some of those, you’d get enough money to live off it for the rest of your life. You’d be incredibly rich, something you’ve never even thought about.

This could be a game changer if luck was on your side today. 

A wide smirk drew itself on your lips as you proceeded forward in the passage, less carefully than before as excitement flooded your brain. After a few steps, you entered in the next room, an enormous place kept in the dark as there was neither windows nor lights around. All you could see was the walls, so high that the roof wasn’t even visible in the pitch black surroundings. If there was any kind of furniture, you couldn’t see any of it. Your broken old flashlight seemed great now, if only you hadn’t thrown it in a lake a few days back.

Taking a little more precautions this time, you stepped in the room carefully, a hand in front of you to make sure not to bump into anything. 

Gradually putting one foot after another, you calculated that you crossed something around 10 meters (and crashed into a table in the process) when you heard movement near you. It was brief and quick, but it instantly froze the blood in your veins, putting you your guards.

 "Who’s there?“ you shouted, rifle lifted up and ready to shoot. 

Footsteps resounded faintly around, although you still couldn’t see anything 

“Identify yourselves, or I’ll shoot!” you proclaimed, even if you internally wondered how you’d shoot without any visual response.

As new noises echoed once again on the walls around, you got ready to fire up when you suddenly felt a blow in the back of your neck, and everything turned to black.

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

The first thing you sensed when regaining consciousness was the tissue fragments around your wrists. A swift movement of your hands instantly made you understand that they were tied together. Your whole arms felt numb, and an atrocious headache prevented you from thinking straight. At least, you were alive. That’s a bonus.

When you opened your eyes, you weren’t stuck in pitch black, but rather in a dim-lighted room with, once again, metallic walls. There was a few desks and chairs, along some work material left haphazardly to indicate that the leave of the place had probably been rushed and hurried. What happened here remained a mystery, though, which you couldn’t wait to solve.

Wandering your gaze around the room, you noticed the presence of someone else, a few meters away. Sitting on a chair, his head was leaning on his only arm (as the other one seemed missing), and judging by the snoring you heard, he was sleeping. His rather unusual clothing looked like nothing you’ve ever seen on a pandoran citizen, and his badge confirmed his provenance: Hyperion.

People from there usually preferred avoiding Pandora, so what was he doing here? Maybe he had business related to this Atlas facility, but still, Hyperion people weren’t generally doing the dirty work themselves and deemed best to relay on someone else. Although that since Helios’s fall, that hierarchy probably crashed, like everything else. You’d never talked to an Hyperion worker before to confirm these facts, though.

Judging by the small handgun resting on the floor next to him, he was likely to be the one that had you tied up. Still, you had questions, and as he did not look much threatening, you decided to try something.

“Hey sleeping beauty!” you exclaimed, which startled him awake. “Mind to tell me what the hell’s happening?”

Upon hearing the sound of your voice, he almost lost his balance and probably would’ve hit the ground if his hand hadn’t latched on to the edge of the chair. Slightly looking at you with an expression that aimed to look mad, he grumbled something incoherent before getting up and sitting back where he was, holding the handle of the gun in his palm this time.

“I could ask you the same thing.” he stated with an impassive face.  
“Well, you’re not the one who’s tied up.” you retorted, slightly smirking.  
“Right, but I’m the one with the gun, so you should start talking.”

‘Okay, maybe this wasn’t a good idea…’ you muttered to yourself, struggling to come up with something to answer, in hope you wouldn’t end up shot upon it.

“My… my name’s (Y/n).” you managed to answer, as pain jolted once again into your head, worsening your headache. “You don’t have to worry about me, I was just passing by.”  
“How am I supposed to know you’re telling the truth?” he asked, lifting his brow in skepticism.  
“Well, as there is a possibility I might die, I don’t see the point.”  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I was just scavenging for supplies, I don’t even know the place.”

The man didn’t answer this time, but you noticed a faint doubt in his eyes, like he wasn’t sure if he made a mistake taking you for a threat. Now was the occasion to prove yourself.

“Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I’m innocent.” you reached out, trying to look as sincere as possible.“ If you have business in here or whatever, I’ll leave if that’s what you want. But I mean no harm.”

Honestly, you were still considering the possibility of knocking him out as soon as he’d free you from these strains, but it didn’t seem like a great plan since you didn’t know if reinforcements were waiting near. Because of that, you did not want to try anything compromising.

“Fine.” he sighed, lowering his gun to lay it on his knees. “I don’t know why, but you seem trustworthy. Although, you’re never sure on this planet.”  
“You were from up there, right?” you demanded.   
“I used to be on Helios, yeah.” he nodded, exhaling sharply. “But there’s nothing gratifying about it. Everyone there were assholes.”  
“Wow, seems you didn’t like ‘em much.”  
“It’s a long story. You wouldn’t want to hear it.”

With another sigh, he stood up and approached you, slightly pushing your back with his elbow to reach the cordage that held your wrists tied up.

“I’m curious, how’d you managed to tie those with only one hand?” you inquired, faintly tilting your head to face him.  
“Like you said, I managed.” he chuckled.

He plunged his hand into his pocket, from which he drew out a small knife blade, making you jump from fear he’d use it on you.

“Relax, I won’t hurt you.” he claimed, cutting the ropes on a single fling.

Relieved to be able to feel your hands again, you extended them in front of you to stretch them. You mumbled a small thank you, and tried to stand up despise an intense feeling of dizziness. 

“My name’s Rhys, by the way.” he revealed, giving you his hand to help you get up, which you gladly accepted.

 As soon as your feet touched the ground, you gave yourself a small push to be able to stand. After a few seconds, you were up, even if your head still ached like hell. 

“You’re alone in here?” you asked him, rotating your body to face him.  
“If you don’t count in the calculation, then yes.” he replied a smile in the corner of his lips.

If you wanted to knock him out, now would be the chance, as you knew there was no reinforcements around. But oddly enough, you weren’t feeling it. Violence could solve anything, but you had the funny feeling that this time was different. Never have you ever deemed someone of your trust, but this guy was unusual, even if you couldn’t really point out why. It was an intuition, a hunch, and even if you usually preferred rational decisions, you decided to believe that intuition. 

“You know the Atlas Company, right?” Rhys suddenly asked, brutally drawing you out of your thoughts.  
“Of course I do!” you exclaimed on an offended tone. “Who doesn’t? Most people here would kill for even one of their products.”  
“Right. And what would you say if I told you I was planning to reconstruct the company?”

At first, you just gazed at him with a ‘you’re kidding me right’ kind of look. But as his facial expression didn’t change, you realized he was probably serious. 

“And how are you planning to do that?” you scoffed, barely smirking.  
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.” he declared. “I do have the legal papers. Sort of.”

He pointed away, on the table a few meters away, some framed piece of paper that laid there, that looked pretty official even if you highly doubted its legitimacy.

“Why are you telling me this?” you inquired, a brow lifted in curiosity. “You barely know me.”  
“Do you by any chance have any place to stay, miss (Y/n) ?” he questioned, ignoring your previous question.  
“Nope, why?”  
“Well, I’ll need people working here if I want to make a fresh start of this place.”

You had no idea what to answer to this. A job? Sure, it legally didn’t exist yet, but was he really offering you an opportunity to do something else with your life? You were reluctant to believe him.

“Look, it’s really kind of you, but I doubt you’d ever get somewhere with me.” you politely denied. “I’ve never really been the working type.”  
“We all started somewhere.” he shrugged with smile.

If he wasn’t bluffing nor lying, this could actually work. Doing something else than wandering endlessly in the wastelands of Pandora seemed like a life changer experience, a proposition that you wouldn’t have twice. If he really was going to put Atlas back on track (and success at it), not only that you’d be filthy rich, but you’d finally obtain something that, as a Pandoran nobody, you always wished for: respect.

You were sold. Now you just hoped this wasn’t a mistake.

“Well I gladly accept… huh am I supposed to call you 'boss’ now?”  
“Please don’t, it makes me uncomfortable.”

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

[A few months later]

“I can’t believe he’s late again.“ 

Angrily stomping in the corridor, you almost knocked a few of your co-workers as you made your way to Rhys’ room. It was nine in the morning, but knowing that dumbass, he was probably still sleeping. 

“I told him about that meeting yesterday, but of course, he never listens!” you muttered to yourself, not without attracting a few perplexed looks from the people around.

Yes, Atlas was now back on track, and working really well. It was on his way to become once again a big player on the weapon market. And Rhys was the boss, even if sometimes he didn’t really act like one. 

Finally reaching his bedroom, you punched in the code (that you, apart from Rhys himself, were the only one to know) and entered, like you did so many times before. And of course, he was still sleeping. 

Waking him up was the fun part though. Sadly enough, you did not bring the ice bucket this time, but you grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it right at his face, which startled him awake instantly.

“What the hell!” he shouted, until he saw you standing in the door frame. “Oh. I’m late again am I?”  
“You’re incorrigible, I swear.” you sighed, rolling your eyes. “You’ve got a meeting in an hour, and I doubt they’ll be happy if you arrive late.”

He sighed heavily, passing a hand on his forehead before lifting his gaze on the clock, trying to get a hold of the hour it was. 

“Who is it that I’m meeting again?” he inquired, lazily throwing back his body on the bed.  
“Do I look like your goddamn secretary?” you exclaimed. “I don’t know!”  
“You’d be a good secretary.”  
“Yeah, not so much.”

He chuckled lightly, while you only gave him a small smile. 

“Now get out, unless you want to see me change.” he told you with a smirk.  
“Alright then, I’m leaving.”

But as you were about to step out, you abruptly received a blow to the back of your head. When you turned around to inquire what the hell just happened, you noticed the pillow laying right next to your feet, and grinned widely.

“Oh, you really want to start this?” you asserted, grabbing the pillow and relentlessly throwing it at Rhys, who received it right in the face. 

Before he even had the chance to replicate to the hit, you rushed to the wardrobe to take cover, and saw the pillow going right past you just as you were hidden behind the furniture.

“Damn it!” you heard Rhys shout from anger, to which you giggled, before continuing what just started as a pillow war.

“(Y/n), we look like freaking kids.” Rhys chuckled.  
“Thought you already figured that out.” you replied, throwing the pillow in the corner of the room so it wouldn’t end up in your face once again.  
“You’re such a smart ass.”  
“You realize that’s like a compliment right?”  
“Of course it is.”  
“Now you better get ready or I’m kicking your ass.”

With a smirk accompanied by a small laugh, you exited the room before he had the time to retort and heard the door close behind you, leaving you alone in the now fully silent corridor. After a few seconds, you chose to go back to your own room, lookig forward to take a small break to think before heading off to work for yourself.

As you proceeded to walk there, you felt a tightening pression in your chest. Again. It wasn’t the first time, as this feeling was recurrent along some other weird stuff recently that kept happening more and more often. Like being incredibly happy for no reason, or just be lost in thoughts for hours. 

You knew something about it was off about it, especially since it only happened when you were with Rhys, or at least thinking about him. 

This had been happening for a while now, increasing everyday, and you still couldn’t put your finger on what was happening to you. Were you sick? Having never been close to anyone before in your life, it was really difficult to analyze social interactions, but this never happened with anyone. Honestly, it worried you to the point where you sometimes just thought about the possibilities for hours, pondering the idea in your brain as you didn’t understand any of it.

You sometimes thought of telling Rhys, but each time you preferred to revoke the idea. What if he couldn’t understand? What if he just laughed it off like it was nothing? Or even worse, what if he was responsible for this?

Here we go. Paranoia striking again, you thought, when you reached your bedroom’s door, letting out an heavy sigh. Rhys was the closest thing you’ve ever had to a best friend; he had no intention of hurting you and you knew it. But sometimes, when braving something unknown, it’s just normal to have weird hypothesis about it. 

Entering your room, you threw yourself on your bed lazily, hoping you could just stay there and never get up. Right now, you just didn’t want to see anyone. But you’ll have to eventually.

 Deep in thoughts again, you kept thinking about all that situation, your eyes glued on the ceiling like there was nothing as fascinating than the dull white paint. It was probably why you didn’t hear the faint knocking on your door at first. But when you heard a voice you knew very well calling your name, you jumped in surprise instantly.

“(Y/n)?” you heard your best friend calling from the hallway. “If you’re still there, I wanted to wish you a great day before I head out to the meeting.”

For a second, you considered not answering. Make it look like you weren’t there. But in a way, as much as talking to him sometimes afflicted you, he was still your best friend.

“Come on in, I’m not gone yet.” you shouted, resulting in the door swiftly opening to reveal a fully dressed Rhys, wearing one of his new suits.

It didnt take long for him to look at you, carelessly lying down on your bed with literally no emotion on your face, with a mocking smirk.

“Well, look at that…” he scoffed. “Who’s the lazy one now?”  
“Shut it.” you mumbled, not even shifting your gaze to face him.  
“Well someone’s in a bad mood. What happened to the girl who was throwing pillows at me earlier?”

Your only answer to his question was a detached grumble of something incoherent, accompanied by a sigh.

“Hey what’s up with you?” Rhys inquired, his gleeful behavior turning into a worried one. “You’ve been weird the last couple of days.”  
“I’m fine Rhys, it’s all good.” you responded, motionning your body to get back on your feet. “I’m tired, y'know, the usual.”  
“What do you mean the usual? I’ve never seen you being tired, like, ever.”  
“Well, there’s always exceptions right?”  
“Okay, you lost me there.”  
“Doesn’t matter: I’m fine. You should go to your meeting now, so I didn’t go through all the trouble of waking you up for nothing.”

You attempted to go past him and leave the room, insisting on how fine you were, but he  abruptly stopped you from going anywhere by placing his arm right in front of you to block your path.

“(Y/n), don’t give me this bullshit.” he scolded you, keeping on his sincere face to prove he was serious. “You know it’s not true.”  
“Rhys, I’m okay.” you affirmed once more. “I’m sure it’s temporary anyway.”  
“What’s temporary?”  
“Fatigue, I’m guessing. Can I go now?”

He didn’t answer your question, keeping his stare on you like he was trying to figure it out his head. Unsuccessfully, it seemed by his disappointed look.

“No.” he replied.  
“What do you mean no? I’ve got work. You’re probably the best placed person in this building to understand that.”  
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on with you.”  
“You’re not actually serious right?  
"Do I look like I’m joking?”

You pouted, not even adding a word to replicate: despise everything that had happened recently, you had known Rhys for a truly long time, and pertinently knew that he was stubborn. If he has an idea in mind, everyone shall get out of the way because he wasn’t going to give up. 

You exhaled sharply, doing your best at avoiding his gaze, while rummaging through your brain for an answer to give.

“Alright, you swear you won’t laugh then?” you hesitated, still not so eager in telling him.  
“No judging, promised.” he swore, withdrawing his arm from your way.  
“Fine.” a sigh exits your mouth in defeat. “It’s just that recently, I’ve been feeling so odd around you for no freaking reason. I have no idea why, but…”

You stopped for a few seconds, catching your breath to allow yourself to finish that sentence.

“Everything feels lighter and pleasant with you, but I’m scared that something may be happening to me and it scares me to death.

For a while, both of you remained dead silent. Not even a word was pronounced for what seemed like long minutes. In your case, you were too ashamed to even look at Rhys in the eyes, keeping your gaze low, so you had no way of knowing his reaction.

But suddenly, you heard a laugh. *A laugh*. And it wasn’t yours.

You stared at your best friend, feeling slightly betrayed by his reaction. You were certain he would at least try to be comprehensive, but apparently you were wrong about it all. 

To be honest with yourself, it made you mad more than anything else. 'And I thought I could trust him.’ you mumbled mentally.

"Go on, tell me I’m ridiculous and that I need to see a therapist.” you muttered harshly.  
“What are you talking about?” Rhys replied, shifting his laugh to a light chuckle.  
“Well, you think it’s absurd, don’t you?”  
“No, not at all. I just never realized you were so clueless about this sort of things.”  
“What things?”

Okay, now you were lost. What was he talking about? Sure, you had never been a pro in social interactions, and maybe it was funny to him, but to go as far as to say you were clueless about something… 

Rhys, that now had a genuine smile on his lips, threw himself on the edge of your bed, sitting like he was about to tell you a story or something close enough. 'If he recites me that Gortys Project story again, I’m kicking his ass.’ you thought.

“I’ve got to ask (Y/n), but have you ever been in love with someone?” he inquired.  
“Love?” you exclaimed, unsettled by the question. “No, of course not. Have you met me?”  
“Hey, just askin’”  
“Yeah, sure. Now, where are you getting with this?”

You sat down next to him on the mattress, frankly unimpressed by his awful attempt to make conversation.

“Alright, well I think I know what’s up with you.” he announced, his cheeks faintly tinted with a mild shade of pink. “But you’re gonna have to trust me.”  
“Sure, go ahead.” you nodded, almost indifferent.

Silence gradually filled the air, with none of you daring to say a word. It was getting kind of awkward, especially when you noticed that Rhys had gone quiet, which was unusual. His gaze was locked with yours, taking deep breaths, and although it did make you very uncomfortable, you were unable to look at away.

Then, to the biggest of your surprise, his lips suddenly landed on yours. It took you a while to understand, but it was all real: *Rhys was kissing you*.

This was like nothing you’ve ever felt before. It was incredible, almost electric, and your whole body felt oddly delightful. His mouth was so warm; the caress his incredibly soft lips made everything around you appear brighter, exaltant, surrounded by a beautiful aura of blissfulness Those weird feelings you kept getting, the same that led to *this*, were now ten thousand time stronger, and it felt good more than anything else.

Despise what it seemed, the kiss only lasted a few short seconds. Honestly, you wished it would’ve been longer, but no words could exit your mouth to express so. Your heart was beating wildly, and you felt a little dizzy. But weirdly enough, those were all good feelings.

Then again, the room became outright silent. You couldn’t bring yourself to say a single word, but your cheeks, along probably the rest of your face, heated up until it felt like the temperature had climbed to 40 degrees and over in the room. But most of all, you were still not over what just happened. You had seen people kissing before, but were far from imagining what the real thing actually felt like. It was amazing, wonderful, almost surreal. You never would’ve guessed.

“(Y/n), are you alright?” Rhys suddenly asked, drifting you out of your thoughts. “Look, I’m sorry if I offended you with this, it wasn’t my intention.”

He looked sorry. Genuinely sorry, but most of all, ashamed, like he was scared he upset you. It was a look you’ve never seen on his face before, and while in any other given situation you would’ve mocked him, now you could completely understand his reaction. But how could you possibly tell him that he was completely wrong, that it was one of the best thing you ever did without knowing which words to use? 

“No, you didn’t offend me…” you mumbled,  feeling overly nervous. “It was really incredible, I just don’t know what to say.”  
Rhys’ face instantly brightened, displaying a relieved expression. “Oh thank God.” he declared, sighing. “At least I know I didn’t look like a complete idiot.”  
“Can you do it again?”

You didn’t even know why you asked. It was such a ridiculous question to blurt out so randomly like this, but you did it anyway. You instantly regretted it of course, but it’s not like you knew what to do in this sort of situation. 'How the hell can I know?’ you exclaimed to yourself, trying to keep a straight face to refrain from looking foolish..

If at first his eyes widened in shock, an expression of confusion readable in his gaze, he soon dropped the bewilderment for an alluring smile, before answering:

“No problem.”

And once again, his lips brushed against yours, as smoothly and softly as the last time. But the difference was, the surprise and awkwardness was (at least partially) gone now. You were getting more and more comfortable with this, until you felt two strong arms circling around your waist gently. If your heart could beat faster and your cheeks get redder, it probably did. His grip tightened around your body, pulling your even closer to him, and you reacted by surrounding your arms around his neck affectionately. Seconds passed seeming like eternity, and your never wanted this beautiful moment to end.

You had to lean back for some fresh air eventually, putting a short end on that marvellous instant. But looking into Rhys’s lovely amber eyes, even though you wanted to tell him you loved him, that he meant and will always mean the world to you, not a word could cross the firm barrier of your lips. Just a cheerful smile, vaguely drawing itself on your face that implied a thousand word without saying any.

“One hell of a start for a day right?” Rhys broke the silence, chuckling nervously.  
“Good luck going to your meeting now.” you replied mockingly.  
“Speaking of the meeting…”

'Oh shit’ you muttered to yourself. The meeting.  With all this going on, you both completely forgot about its mere existence. Good luck not to arrive late now…

“You forgot too, didn’t you?”  
“Yeah.”

You both stayed silent for a few seconds, before bursting in laughter.

“Now come on, let’s get going before you end up even latter than you already is.” you giggled, pushing yourself to get back on your feet.  
“Can’t they wait?” he complained, exhaling sharply. “I’m already late, might as well not go at all.”  
“I’m sorry, are you trying to start another pillow war now?”  
“I would only wish.”

You laughed again, as Rhys stood up from the bed.

“Alright, I’m going, before you kill me with a pillow again.” he commented.  
“I wouldn’t kill you.” you added. “Maybe just put you in a coma.”  
“So reassuring.”

You both slowly headed for the door, obviously taking most of the time to do so not to have to face the day of work that waited outside. Working wasn’t so bad itself, but when compared with what just happened, you probably would’ve preferred to stay here with Rhys all day.

Pressing the button that opens the entry, you were about to wave goodbye to Rhys before leaving reluctantly, but he stopped before you could do anything.

“Just before we leave and all…” he started, lifting his hand to caress your cheek with his thumb. “I just wanted to say that I love you.”

A smile immediately carved itself in your face, and you answered by standing up on your tiptoes and laying your lips on his for a rapid but sweet kiss, before leaning back.

“And so do I.”


	3. Together, Forever ~ Gaige x Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'I shouldn't let her anywhere near my stuff as of now' you told yourself with a sigh. Last time she bought something for you, it ended up being broken before the bag was even open. 'She's lucky I love her so much.' You didn't have time to think much longer when a hit against the cabin door brutally drawn you out of your thoughts.
> 
> "Don't tell me you're still in there!" Gaige shouted, banging her fists against the wooden door."I don't wanna!" you wined, pushing the latch further in the lock to make sure she wouldn't consider opening the door to put the bathing suit on you herself."Are you kidding me right now?""Gaige, you know I don't like swimsuits!"
> 
> She exhaled sharply, banging once again against the door before exclaiming:
> 
> "Come on (Y/n). If you can murder people, you can get into a freaking bikini!"

It was widely recognized, Eden 9 was considered the top destination for vacations by the people of the solar system. Its spectacular landscapes, its luxurious hotels, and of course, its gigantic and gorgeous beaches were known all across the universe. It was no surprise that the planet was always crawling with people, probably all in need of a break from their reality. 

What could be surprising to everyone was the fact that, one day, a Vault Hunter and her faithful girlfriend would end up on the floor of Eden 9, in need of a break as well. Guess that shooting at things and people gets tiring after a while.

And of course, the mythical duo was none other than your and your girlfriend Gaige, the actual Vault Hunter. For a reason you still weren't able to get, she managed to talk you into this, insisting on how she needed to take a vacation from shooting bandit's brains out (using those exact words), and wanted to spend some time with you. Because yes, when you're a Vault Hunter, you don't have much time to yourself.

For your part, you worked part-time at Moxxi's bar in Sanctuary, and used the rest of your free moments to help out Gaige on her quests. You weren't as good as her, obviously, but at least there was some improvements.

So for a few weeks, you both managed to put some money away, enough to get you a space travel to the galaxy's top destination, Eden 9. And now here you were, stepping down from the space shuttle, blinded by the fierce sun rays that were aimed right at your face.

"I can't see shit!" you heard Gaige exclaim to your side, and saw her with both hands over her eyes reflexively. You giggled at the sight. "I don't remember the sun being that harsh on Pandora!"  
"Well, instead we have bandits, criminals and psychos that try to eat our faces." you retorted with a smirk. "But fortuitously, the sun isn't too harsh."  
"Hey, stop mocking me."

You giggled, laying a sweet kiss on her cheek as both your eyes slowly adjusted to the intense light.

"Now let's get registered, shall we?" Gaige told you, pulling up the luggage on her shoulder.  
"Do you have any clue on how we do that?"   
"None. But I remember going to a motel once on Pandora, so it must be similar."  
"There's only one way to find out."

In the gigantic achromatic room, where many other people stood with their kids and luggage, there was a few counters a couple of meters away with employees dressed in a hideous blue uniform standing behind counters.

Both you and Gaige approached one of the counter under the label 24, where stood a tall women with skinny features and dirty blonde air reunited in a bun. Her eyes and facial features indicated she was either very tired, or just really didn't want to be there. Seeing you approach her direction, she instantly put on a somewhat fake smile before exclaiming:

"Hi, I'm Maddilyn, how can I help you today?"  
"We're looking for our hotel reservation." you quickly answered before Gaige even had the time to say a word.  
"Surely. Under what name?"  
"(Y/n) and Gaige."

She opened up her ECHO computer, searching through files for a few seconds before directing her gaze on you again.

"I've got your file right here, I just need some informations to fill it." she commented, her fake smile being more oblivious than ever.  
"Sure, ask away." you replied.  
"How long are you planning to stay?"   
"Only a week."  
"Is it your first time coming here?"   
"Indeed it is."  
"And finally, where are you from?"  
"Pandora."

Her stare immediately widened in surprise: she surely never expected to encounter anyone from Pandora on that boring day of hers. And she probably never wanted to, due to the reputation of its resident to shoot and kill pretty much everything that breaths. Couldn't blame her though, it wasn't technically false.

"Now what, cat got your tongue?" Gaige smirked to the woman, as she didn't reply anything.  
"You-you're not gonna kill me, are you?" she soon reacted, her voice stammering in terror.  
"If we wanted to kill you, we would already have done it."

You shot a bitter glance at Gaige, the stare that usually meant that it was time for her to shut it. 'She's going to traumatize that poor lady.' you thought, before turning to the receptionist. 

"Look, we don't want you any bad, we're just here for to take some vacations." you explained, trying to keep your voice as calm as possible. "Now, can we get our bedroom?"

Without replying anything, she swiftly typed something on her computer, and in terms of seconds, a blue key materialized on the counter next to her. Taking the newly spawned object, she practically threw it in your hands, mumbled a faint 'Have a nice day' before calling up to a new customer.

"Wow, incredible customer service we've got here..." Gaige muttered sarcastically when you left the reception room, following you in direction of your hotel bedroom with the luggage still on her shoulder.  
"Hey, at least it's better than anything we would've got at home." you protested.  
"I'm not paying that much to get into an hotel on Pandora, though."  
"Yeah, you're right."  
"I always am."

You scoffed mockingly to her answer, before reporting your attention to the metal key laying in your hand.

"But don't worry Gaige, I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun here."

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

Soon after dropping all your things in your hotel bedroom, the first thing that Gaige requested to see was the nearest beach. And even though you would've preferred to stay and set things up before going anywhere, you absolutely couldn't refuse anything to your girlfriend. But the beach itself didn't bother you at all.

The swimsuit was.

Yes, it was very dumb and all to make such a fuss about a swimsuit, but you just weren't comfortable in wearing anything too revealing in public. And even less in front of so many people, as you pertinently knew that the beach would be filled with people all over. Sure, when you live on a murderous planet where everything on it constantly tries to kill you, it seems pretty minor,  but you just couldn't get over it.

When you finally reached the sand area, the bag on your shoulder, the first thing you noticed was the beach scenery. It was beautiful. The sand was as smooth as drapes, smoothly caressing your feet, and the water was coloured with a lovely shade of azur, linking itself with the sky over the horizon. It was even better than what you expected.

"This is awesome!" Gaige exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the marvellous scenery.   
"It's amazing..." you added, a smile to the corner of your lips.  
"Now come on, we're going swimming!" she grabbed your hand, pulling you in direction of the sea.   
"I-I don't know Gaige, I don't think I want to go swimming today."  
"No excuses darling, I already told you: you don't have a choice!"

She was right, you promised her that to make her shut up, earlier during the trip. 'Shit, I'm so screwed...' you muttered to yourself, knowing you couldn't back down from this with Gaige: if you've ever thought she would forget something like that, you were so, so wrong.

"But—"  
"No buts, you're coming with me."

Holding closer to your wrist, she pulled you towards the changing cabins, where she took the bag from you, and after extirpating your bathing suit from it, threw it right into your hands while yelling something that looked like "Put it on!", before leaving with the bag to presumably put on her own suit. 

So now here you stood, in your cabin, with your bikini in your hands, and absolutely no will to put it on and get out of there. For a few minutes, you just waited, pondering the meaning of your existence, and the reason why the hell you had chosen to buy a swimsuit so freaking revealing.

Oh right. You weren't the one that bought it. Gaige did. Of course.

'I shouldn't let her anywhere near my stuff as of now' you told yourself with a sigh. Last time she bought something for you, it ended up being broken before the bag was even open. 'She's lucky I love her so much.' You didn't have time to think much longer when a hit against the cabin door brutally drawn you out of your thoughts.

"Don't tell me you're still in there!" Gaige shouted, banging her fists against the wooden door.  
"I don't wanna!" you wined, pushing the latch further in the lock to make sure she wouldn't consider opening the door to put the bathing suit on you herself.  
"Are you kidding me right now?"  
"Gaige, you know I don't like swimsuits!"

She exhaled sharply, banging once again against the door before exclaiming:

"Come on (Y/n). If you can murder people, you can get into a freaking bikini!"

You were absolutely certain that the noise around the both of you lowered for a second or two, probably because she managed to traumatized everyone around that was within earshot with her words.

"It's not the same thing!" you retorted once the surrounding sounds went back to their original state, a few seconds later.  
"Yes, yes it is." she paused. "And anyway, you don't have to be shy. It's nothing I haven't seen before."  
"GAIGE!"  
"What? It's true!"  
"Yes, but it doesn't mean you have to yell it!"  
"Love, nobody cares about what I say, neither how you look. It's going to be fine!"

You sighed loudly, slowly giving in to her arguments. She wasn't wrong in fact: there was so many people here that probably none of them were eager to notice you. 

"Plus, not gonna lie, you've got a great ass." she added, and you could almost hear the smirk in her voice. "You should show it."  
"You're only saying shit so I'll get out." you retorted quietly.  
"Yes, but I ain't lying."  
"Alright, I'm coming."

In a few seconds, you put in the swim suit, taking a break to admire your reflection in the mirror in front of you, before unlocking the cabin with a beaten look on your face.

"There you go!" your girlfriend blurted out as soon as the door was open. "I dunno of I should consider you lovely or sexy, so I'll say that you're both."  
"You're not helping." you muttered, tidying your original clothes in the beach bag next to Gaige's feet.  
"I'm trying."

She smiled slightly, before taking your hand into hers, intertwining her fingers between yours.

"You'll see, you'll get used to it." shes commented, as she took the direction of the sea. "We're going to have plenty of fun!"  
"I'm only here because I really love you, you know that?"  
"Yes, I know."

☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎☀︎

In fact, that beach thingy was way less worse than what you expected. When you reached the water, one of the first thing Gaige did was to push you in it, entirely soaking you from head to feet. Hence the water fight that followed, because she ended up as soaked as you. Eventually, you just forgot about the swimsuit.

Splashing Gaige once again with the sea water, she dodged the attack and kicked the water in the air, resulting in a fountain that landed right in your face, soaking once again your hair that slowly started to dry. 

"Just because you're a Vault Hunter doesn't mean you can beat me at anything!" you pouted, water dripping from your wet hair strands.  
"I've got a feeling it does darling." she winked.  
"Stop it!"

You extended your arms, pushing her on the shoulders so she could land right in the water, creating a big splash while you just laughed your ass off. 

"Oh, it is so on!" she shouted when her head popped out from the water, her peach-coloured hair all over her face.

She stood up, water all over her body, and was about to carry on the fight when her head spinner towards the beach.

"You know what?" she stated. "I'll get us a drink instead. Be right back."

You didn't have the time to protest that she was already sprinting towards the nearest bar, leaving you alone and soaked, but smiling. While waiting for her, your attention was reported to the horizon, where the sea was making one with the sky, and pondered on how lucky you were to be able to be here on that day.

"Hey missy." a male voice suddenly called to you, drawing you out of your thoughts.

You instantly turned around, to meet face to face with a tall man, with chestnut eyes and hair that matched his muscular body and strong shoulder. He was staring right at you, a playful smirk at the corner of his lips.

"Hi." you responded shyly. "Can I help you?"  
"No it's fine. Actually, I just wanted to talk to you." 

Oh right. Flirting. You should've guessed only by the look. 'Well, this just jumped to ten thousand times more awkward.' you muttered to yourself, wishing with all your might that Gaige would be coming back soon enough.

"Oh cool." you just replied, often gazing at the beach to see where your girlfriend and if she was close enough to hear you if you yelled an S.O.S.  
"What's your name sweetheart?" he purred, move forward with a step, which you deemed already too close to you.  
"I-I'm (Y/n)."  
"Nice to meet you (Y/n), I—"  
"What's happening here?" you heard Gaige's voice intercept.

You internally sighed from relief. Finally, she had come to save your ass from terrible threat, once again. Even if the threat was a male a little too flirty.

"Oh, and I'm guessing that this is your friend?" the man told you, gesturing at Gaige.  
"Actually..."she retorted, an angry look on her face. She approached you, and her hands slipped down the smooth curve of your sides to rest on your hips as she drew you in. "She's my girlfriend."

She firmly laid her lips on yours, pulling you in for a kiss, and while you felt your entire face getting red from blushing, you instantly reacted by putting your hands on her cheeks, sweetly caressing her skin with your thumbs. But in all honesty, you were putting a lot into it to scare off the guy. 

Eventually, when you stepped back, you gaze was brought back to the unnamed man, who looked a lot more shocked than you thought he would. And genuinely, it was hilarious. 

"I—I'm sorry," he apologized weakly, which seemed way too out of his character, "I didn't know that—"  
"It's fine." you interrupted him, smiling mockingly.  
"I—I'll be leaving, 'kay?"

And without even waiting for an answer from neither you or Gaige, he instantly left the area by running off to some other part of the beach, where he disappeared between the masses of people.

"Whoosh, go away creep." your girlfriend mumbled when he was already far away, gesturing her hand with a smirk on the corner of her mouth.  
"That, was hilarious." you pointed out, erupting in laughter, followed by Gaige not long after.  
"What?" she retorted defensively. "I'm possessive, I don't like people playing around my stuff."  
"Oh, because I'm your stuff now?"  
"Yes, but I guarantee that you're my favourite."

You scoffed at her answer, still giggling from the entertaining event, but managed to lay a kiss in her cheeks delightfully.

"Thanks for saving me by the way." you declared. "That guy was legitimately creepy."  
"Meh, I saved a planet, I might as well save you." she retorted, shrugging with a laugh.  
"Yeah, sure. Are you able to save yourself though?"  
"What do you mea— whaaaaaaa"

With a strong push against her back, you flung her into the sea water once more, where she landed in an enormous splash that probably soaked everyone being within a meter radius. 

Man, these vacations were going to be more than amazing at this rate.


End file.
